as in dwarves
a person of no importance or influence
the magazine's editor in chief was notorious for treating staffers as insects, often not even bothering to learn their names
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of insects
Reportedly, the bacterial types suggest the man’s diet included plants and insects.
—
Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2025
Proposals that the lights were swarming insects or birds carrying glowing fungus were quickly debunked.
—Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2025
For gardeners who want to keep the planting bed all white, adding white companion plantings like sweet alyssum, nemesia or daisies maintains the color scheme and helps provide diverse plantings to attract beneficial insects into the garden to help with pest problems.
—Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Oct. 2025
Per the study, the female life expectancy advantage is only consistent in mammals, whereas in birds, amphibians and insects, males tend to live longer.
—Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025
They are known to parasitize crustaceans and insects including praying mantids, beetles, crickets, and occasionally millipedes and centipedes, according to the study.
—Lauren Liebhaber, Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2025
Mums are healthiest and grow best in areas with mixed plantings, especially with companion plants that have similar care needs, or with plants that repel pests and harmful insects.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 6 Oct. 2025
These costumes combine whimsy with creativity, often featuring iridescent wings and layered textures that mimic the appearance of real-life insects.
—Elizabeth Fogarty, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Oct. 2025
Small flying insects observed near dining room soda machine.
—Gege Reed, Louisville Courier Journal, 3 Oct. 2025
Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2025
Proposals that the lights were swarming insects or birds carrying glowing fungus were quickly debunked.
—Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2025
For gardeners who want to keep the planting bed all white, adding white companion plantings like sweet alyssum, nemesia or daisies maintains the color scheme and helps provide diverse plantings to attract beneficial insects into the garden to help with pest problems.
—Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Oct. 2025
Per the study, the female life expectancy advantage is only consistent in mammals, whereas in birds, amphibians and insects, males tend to live longer.
—Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025
They are known to parasitize crustaceans and insects including praying mantids, beetles, crickets, and occasionally millipedes and centipedes, according to the study.
—Lauren Liebhaber, Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2025
Mums are healthiest and grow best in areas with mixed plantings, especially with companion plants that have similar care needs, or with plants that repel pests and harmful insects.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 6 Oct. 2025
These costumes combine whimsy with creativity, often featuring iridescent wings and layered textures that mimic the appearance of real-life insects.
—Elizabeth Fogarty, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Oct. 2025
Small flying insects observed near dining room soda machine.
—Gege Reed, Louisville Courier Journal, 3 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insects
Noun
-
Such ciphers are easy to crack using techniques such as checking letter frequency and identifying common patterns.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
7 Oct. 2025
-
She, the cinema; he, the audience — these ciphers would be compelling in short-form, but in carrying a feature they’re only buoyed by the natural chemistry of their performers.—
Blake Simons,
IndieWire,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
More importantly, the narrative explores both sides of the conflict from the POV of grunts and 'nobodies' trying to navigate the post-Civil War state of the galaxy before the fighting stops.—
Fran Ruiz,
Space.com,
4 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Hughes is one of the world's top lightweights in MMA, the sport where McGregor built his following and name.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Fighting off hordes of alien monstrosities AND digging for rare minerals in outer space as a crew of beer-swilling, ass kicking space dwarves?—
Fran Ruiz,
Space.com,
6 Oct. 2025
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And all these dwarves and elves and humans go, ‘What?—
Elisabeth Garber-Paul,
Rolling Stone,
2 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Insects.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insects. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.
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